The film details the Supreme Court hearings for Clarence Thomas (Wendell Pierce) that were rocked by testimony by Oklahoma law professor Anita Hill (Washington), which brought the country to a standstill and forever changed the way we think about sexual harassment, victims’ rights and modern race relations.

Elise will play Sonia Jarvis, Anita’s college roommate and a D.C. lawyer. Ariza plays Judy Smith, the White House press liaison. Interestingly, it’s a reunion of sorts for Washington and the Smith character. Smith is the founder, CEO and president of the crisis-management firm Smith & Co., the inspiration behind Washington’s ABC drama series Scandal. Smith was Special Assistant and Deputy Press Secretary to President George H.W. Bush and reportedly was instrumental in guiding the his administration through the controversies surrounding the Thomas nomination. Gets plays Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania senator who played a leading role in the Thomas hearings as a Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Specter became a Democrat in 2009. He died in 2012.

Elise, repped by APA and Untitled Entertainment, most recently starred in UPtv movie Apple Mortgage Cake. Other recent credits include Lifetime’s A Day Late And A Dollar Short, VH1 series, Hit The Floor and features Event 15 and Highland Park. Ariza is repped by KMR Talent, AMT Talent in Atlanta and manager Lisa DiSante-Frank.